Our CRAVENS of:  Ohio Co., KY; Greene and Sullivan Co., IN; and Crawford Co., IL.

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Descendants of Jesse Cravens

Generation No. 3

3. JANE³ CRAVENS (JESSE², JESSE¹) was born Abt. 1806 in Kentucky, probably Ohio Co.. She married WILLIAM T. JAMES July 28, 1825 in Ohio Co., KY. He was born Abt. 1805 in Kentucky.

More About WILLIAM JAMES and JANE CRAVENS:
Marriage: July 28, 1825, Ohio Co., KY
     
Children of JANE CRAVENS and WILLIAM JAMES are:

4. JESSE³ CRAVENS (JESSE², JESSE¹) (MY LINE) was born January 23, 1811 in Kentucky, and died April 18, 1867 in Crawford or Lawrence Co., Ill.. He married (1) ANNA NANNY August 23, 1832 in Ohio Co., KY. She was born Bet. 1810 - 1820, and died Bet. 1840 - 1847. He married (2) AMERICA ISBELL Bef. 1848. She was born Abt. 1828 in Kentucky, and died Bef. 1859. He married (3) SCENA ANN FUNK (MY LINE) October 27, 1859 in Lawrence Co. Ill., daughter of PETER FUNK and NANCY ENLOW. Scena was born Abt. 1831 in Indiana, and died November 30, 1885 in Morea, Crawford Co. Ill..

Notes for JESSE CRAVENS:
Much of the information BEFORE 1850 for this line is based on very circumstantial evidence. It is THE strongest cicumstantial eidence I have ever seen, and therefore after several years of builiding my case I have decided to incorporate this line into my database. Notes for each person will describe the evidence on them both objective and circumstantial. Note btw, that I have so far established 4 generations of Jesse Cravens ... and still counting.

I am quite certain that 'my' Jesse(3) is the Jesse who was the son of Jesse(2) of Ohio Co, KY.  I believe Jesse(2) is also the Jesse who married Anna Nanny there on August 23, 1832. The before-1850 half of his life and the after-1850 half of his life hang together pretty well but they have been like two halves of a juigsaw puzzle. The biggest circumstantial conclusion that I make in my logic is that the Jesse(3) in Greene Co . IN who disappears after the 1840 Census and after Jesse(2). dies, is MY Jesse who APPEARS in the 1850 Census of Sullivan Co, IN. I merged and compared the two sets of ages on the two records and believe I can justifiablly argue that the ages and numbers match too well for coiincidence and that they are the same family. I am working on additional circumstantial evidence based on neighbors, but I am personally convinced. I also noted that the Jesse of Green Co.'s mother's name was Rebecca Jane. The Jesse of Sullivan Co named his eldest daughter Rebecca J. The Jesse Cravens in Sullivan Co., IN in 1850 (PROVEN to be 'mine'), his known children and ages mesh almost perfectly with the Jesse Cravens Jr. (spelled Craver in the census) in 1840 in neighboring Greene Co. IN. I will refer to 'this' Jesse as Jesse (3)

Now for Jesse(3)'s children.  I believe Jesse's 1st wife Anna Nanny was the mother of William J,   Rebecca J. (named for Jesse's Mom I'm sure) and Clarrisa Ann. Clarissa's age fits with a daughter that appears on the 1840 Green Co Census when Jesse was still in Green Co.  It appears, by the age Jesse's wife in that census, that Ann, "Nanny", was still alive.

1850 Census, Sullivan Co IN:
#284 Cravens, Jesse 39M Farmer KY
America 22F KY crw (Jesse's 2nd wife)
William J 16M IND as    
Rebecca 14F IND as
Clarissa Ann 11F IND as
Jeanetta 8F IND as
Mary E 6F IND
Lovell 3M IND
Nancy J 2F IND

Now as for the other 4 children in his 1850 household...
Between 1850-1860, America, Clarissa Ann, Jeanetta, Mary E and Lovell disappear. None of them are with Jesse in the 1860 Census in IL.  Since they all disappear between 1850-1860, there could have been a disease or illness that killed all of them. Then again, Clarissa Ann and Jeanetta could have married by 1860, though I've found no record of this anywhere, yet. The 1850 census is the only mention that I have found of those three children. Nancy the youngest of the four IS with Jesse in 1860, she IS included as an heir in Jesse(2)'s estate and America Isbell was Nancy's mother and Jesse Cravens was Nancy's father, per Nancy's death certificate.  From this I am assuming that America was also Jesse's wife. If America's age is corect, then only Lovell would be a likely child of America's. Since none of the 4 (Clarrissa, Jeanetta, Mary E. and Lovell) appear in Jesse's will they would appear to have either not been Jesse children or to have died before Jesse. Did Clarissa die young? Were Jeanetta and Mary America's sisters?   I have yet to see proof of this in the census.  I believe, I am almost certain, that Benjamin Oglesby Isbell, who married Jesse's daughter Annie from his third marriage) was the brother of America.  That would make Thomas and Elisbeth Miller Isbell America's parents.

In the 1860 Census in Crawford Co. ILL, of this group only Nancy is still living with Jesse:
#2074 Jesse Cravens 52M Farmer 2000 800 Kentucky
            Sena      "         29F   Indiana
            Nancy     "       12F       "
            Josiah      "         7M      Illinois
            Elisabeth "          5F          "
    Williston Hollett 10M "
    Serena White 7F "

William J and Rebecca J, both marry (on the same day) in1857 in Crawford Co., and Nancy Jane is 2 in 1850 and with her father and his new wife in 1860. I have found no further info on William J. If he was Jesse's son, (and I do believe he was) then he probably died without heirs as their are no claimants from him in Jesse's estate. Rebecca and Nancy (Rebecca through her son since Rebecca is already dead) are the only 'proven' descendants of Jesse's from this 1850 Census since they ARE acknowledged claimants on his estate. Now for the 1860 Census (above). I suspect that at LEAST Elizabeth and Josiah were also children of Jesse and America. Since she was the mother of Nancy, her and Jesse were married by 1848. Jesse didn't marry his third wife Scena till 1859, just before the 1860 Census and well after Josiah and Elisabeth were born. Josiah and Elisabeth WERE Jesse's children as they WERE in his will. This tells us that, unless Jesse had another wife between America and Scena-which is unlikely,  America came with Jesse to Crawford Co, IL. Wouldn't surprise me if America died during or shortly after Elisabeth's birth. What I would give if I could find some of these missing marriages or death certificates!   SSSooo...where did America, Clarissa Ann, Jeanetta, Mary E, and Lovell go and where do they belong??   Nancy, Josiah and Elisabeth all returned to Sullivan Co, IN shortly after their father died, and Nancy and Elisabeth both married Williams's.   Josiah moved back to Crawford Co years later, and then HIS daughter married in Sullivan Co. (??)  Nancy died young and I lose track of Elisabeth ....
BTW, Williston Hallett and Serena White are Scena's (Jesse's third wife and my ancestor) children from her two previous marriages. (Yes, she was widowed twice before her 30th birthday) Below you will see the family after Jesse died.  Serena and George (and George's family) are still living with Scena as well as Scena's mother now that Scena's father has also died.  The 4 children Jesse, Annie, Elijah and John were Scena's and Jesse's.  BTW, Annie marries Benjamin Isbell.  I think he was Jesse's brotherinlaw from his second marriage, but no relation to Annie.  Still .... strange.  Notice Elijah.  There was an Elijah with Jesse(1) in Ohio Co in 1800.

In Crawford Co., ILL. 1870 Census:
# 279 Cravens, Sena 39F keepinghouse 0 80 Indiana
--- Serena 16F Housekeeping Illinois
--- Jesse 9M Illinois
--- Annie 8F "
--- Elijah 6M "
--- John 3M "
Hollett, George 20M "
--- Elisabeth 17F "
--- Emma 1F "
Funk, Nancy 74F "


Jesse's estate papers are interesting reading in and of themselves. Amongst the numerous cows and sheep and foodstufs and farm equipment their were 4 pictures, 2 looking glass and a safe. The appraisers were James Buntin (a neighbor), William Rainey (husband of Cynthia Funk and therefore bro-in-law to Sena) and James Wesner (I haven't the foggiest idea who he was).

I am actively working on this line and I have far more questions than answers. What ever happened to William? Did Jesse really fight with his kids as much as it would appear? What was the "People vs. Cravens" in 1866 that Jesse still owed lawyers $25.00 for? And most of all, are my deductions of Jesse's ancestry correct? The search continues ....

More About JESSE CRAVENS:
Burial: Tewalt Cemetary, Russellville, Ind.

More About JESSE CRAVENS and ANNA NANNY:
Marriage: August 23, 1832, Ohio Co., KY
None-Ending: Bef. 1859

More About JESSE CRAVENS and AMERICA ISBELL:
Marriage: Bef. 1848

Notes for SCENA ANN FUNK:  SEE FUNK family for more on Scena's ancestry
I have yet to prove it but I am quite certain from circumstantial evidence that Sena Ann's parents are Peter and Nancy Funk, both buried in Tewalt Cemetary. I know she was 'a' Funk per son Jesse and his sister Annie's marriage cert.

Peter was born Jan. 13, 1797 (in KY per census) and died Feb 11, 1862, per gravestone, buried in Tewalt Cemetary, Lawrence Co., Ill. Nancy was born abt July 7, 1796 (in KY per census)and died Jan. 13, 1871, per gravestone, buried in Tewalt Cemetary. I am now quite sure that this is the same Nancy living with Sena Cravens and family in the 1870 Census in Crawford Co. After viewing the original census I now know that the age matches. She came to live with her daughter, Scena, after her husband died.

Looking at the 1850 Census of Lawrence Co., Ill., I think the following are her siblings:

Henry b. abt 1821 in Ill.
H.D. (Male) b. abt 1822 in IA (could be mistake)
Cynthia b. abt. 1827 in Indiana (wife of Rainey Warren)
Sena (herself) b. abt 1831 in Indiana

Sena's first husband is also buried in Tewalt Cemetary, not far from her and Jesse.

On October 27, 1859 Scena Ann Funk Hallett White married Jess Cravens. It is her third marriage and probably his third too. Sena Ann and Jesse's oldest child is Jesse (4 my notation) and she is given her four children's portion as their guardian when Jesse dies. Nancy and Elisabeth (I think I missed Josiah's 'chit') recieved their portion as they came of age. They didn't go to live with Sena Ann after their father's death and all three of them ended up in Sullivan Co ......WHY? (See Nancy Jane Cravens notes for more discussion) If their Momma was America as I suspect, then their grandparents (and uncle Benjamin Isbell) were all from SUllivan. Maybe they had other family living there.

More About SCENA ANN FUNK:
Burial: Tewalt Cemetary, Russellville, Ind.
    
Children of JESSE CRAVENS and his 1st wife ANNA NANNY are:

     
Children of JESSE CRAVENS and his second wife AMERICA ISBELL are:

     
Children of JESSE CRAVENS and 3rd wife - MY LINE- SCENA FUNK are:

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